Sanford Lake | reservoir

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Sanford Lake is a man made reservoir located in Midland County, Michigan. It was formed by the damming of the Tittabawassee River near the town of Sanford, Michigan. The main body of the lake stretches for about 6 miles north of the dam, but the water remains deep enough for small boat navigation up past the town of Edenville, Michigan ten miles north of the dam. At its widest point the lake is slightly over half a mile. A survey by the Michigan DNR measured the main body of the lake at 1250 acres.

While Sanford Lake is not a tourist attraction, it is a popular recreation spot for the county. On the west side of the lake near the dam, Midland County maintains a park with boat ramps and a beach area. The shoreline is mostly developed with single family homes. There is one small marina on the lake, but there is no public boat mooring available anywhere on the lake.

The water quality of the lake is good. As a reservoir with a predominantly muddy bottom turbidity is a bit higher than the average natural lake in Michigan. The introduction of Zebra mussels in the 1990’s has significantly improved water clarity, but this has lead to an explosion of weed growth throughout the shallow portions of the lake. Fertilizers from the surrounding homes and agricultural areas have undoubtedly contributed to this growth.